The Star of the Show

Nature 5 Minutes

Starfish are beautiful marine animals found in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. As of the moment, there are no starfish species that are endangered. Though that definitely sounds like good news, according to the reports, starfish’s numbers are rapidly declining. So, let’s get to know more about them in these starfish facts and how we can protect them.

Starfish are also known as sea stars.

Starfish do have a brain.

They do not have blood or a heart.

Instead of blood, they have a water vascular system. That system pumps seawater through the tube feet and throughout the starfish’s body.

Starfish use filtered seawater to pump nutrients through their nervous system.

Starfish is not a fish.

According to experts, starfish don’t fall in the classification of fish thus, they prefer to call it “sea stars.” Although they lived underwater, they do not have fins, gills, or scales like fish do. Also, the starfish move differently from fish, they have very small tube feet to support them move along.

Starfish or sea star is an echinoderm.

Starfish are classified as echinoderms which are exclusively marine animals. An echinoderm is a marine invertebrate (an organism that doesn’t have a backbone) that has spiny skin.

Corals and clams are the primary food of starfish.

In general, starfish feed on coral, clams, sand dollars, oysters, mussels, algae, and sponges. Furthermore, other species of starfish also eat injured fishes in the ocean if there is a given opportunity. In other words, they are also carnivores.

Starfish eat in a very unique way.

A starfish has its mouth at the center of its lower surface. It uses its feet, which have suction cups on the bottom, to help it hold on to its meal. When it is feeding on a clam or an oyster, for instance, it uses its feet to open it up. Once it is opened, the starfish’s stomach goes out of its mouth and pushes itself inside of the mussel shell or clam.

Starfish can reproduce both sexually and asexually.

Starfish also have a unique life cycle and they can reproduce both sexually and asexually (a type of reproduction that does not involve the fusion of gametes).

Starfish’s fertilization happens in the water.

In sexual reproduction of the starfish, fertilization happens in the water with females and males releasing sperm and eggs into the environment or much known as “free spawning.” The sperm and egg will float until they meet up and fertilize accordingly. Furthermore, asexual reproduction in starfish takes place by fission or through autotomy of arms.

Starfish can regenerate their damaged parts.

Most species of starfish have the ability to regenerate their damaged parts including the regeneration of lost arms. Hence, they can “sacrifice” their arms as a defense mechanism.

They can live up to 35 years.

The average life span of a starfish or sea stars is 35 years. Although in general, the bigger starfish species tend to live longer compared to their smaller counterparts.

Starfish can live in a saltwater aquarium.

Starfish pet owners should know that they are grazers and eat food that has fallen to the bottom of the aquarium or fish tank. Most species like a meaty diet such as clams or mussels since it’s their natural food. Above all, starfish should be kept in the saltwater aquarium along with the proper tank maintenance.

There are square starfish.

One of the most uncommon species of starfish is the square starfish which was discovered in Mathesons Bay, New Zealand, mesmerizing its visitors, as well as marine biologists.

Starfish can feel pain.

Although starfish don’t have blood, heart, and brain, in contrast to the belief of many, starfish can feel pain or get hurt because they have a complex nervous system.

Starfish are generally edible.

There are different opinions about the taste of starfish. Some people argue that it tastes like river crabs or sea urchins, while others say that it tastes nothing. Starfish delicacies are served in sometimes in sushi restaurants or even just in the streets like in Bejing, China.

Starfish or sea stars have eyes.

Though it is not obvious, they do have eyes. Starfish have eyes on the tip of their arms. Each of their arms has an eye that looks like a red spot. These eyes cannot see full details but can sense dark and light which is suitable in their environment.

Starfish have a protective shield.

Commonly, a starfish has a hard covering that may feel leathery and sometimes thorny depending on the species. The composition of starfish or sea stars’ skin is a calcium carbonate plate with little spikes. This serves as their protection from predators such as sea otters, birds, and fish.

Some species can survive out of the water for about 28 hours.

Although there are times that we can see starfish on the shore or attached to rocks and pilings during low tide, they can’t stay out of the water for a long period. Most species of starfish can go out of the water for a short period without harm and the larger species of them can survive out of the water for about 28 hours.

Pink starfish is one of the largest starfish.

The pink starfish, also known as short-spined sea stars or giant pink sea stars are species in the Northeast Pacific Ocean. William Stimson introduced it to science in 1857. The pink starfish are big with five thick arms. Its typical size is 13 inches in diameter. However, some could grow up to 35 inches in diameter and can weigh up to 4 kilograms. The color of it is usually pink but sometimes with grayish shadings.

Royal Starfish live around 70 to 100 feet deep in the ocean.

The Royal Starfish is a brightly colored species of starfish. This species is found along the east coast of North America, mainly in the southeast. Normally, Royal Starfish live around 70 to 100 feet deep in the ocean but they can go deeper more than 600 feet and feasts on mollusks (soft-bodied invertebrates of the phylum Mollusca). In contrast to other species of starfish, the royal starfish eats its prey whole.

Bat Starfish got its name from its webbed arms.

This species of starfish has many names such as bat sea star, webbed star, sea bat, or broad-disk star. This interesting starfish got its name because of its similar look with bat wings where the arms have webbing in between. Normally, the bat starfish have five up to nine arms. Its color ranges from orange to purple to green. You can find this species along the West Coast of North America, from Baja to Alaska.

Nine-Armed starfish is the only species to have a name after its nine arms.

Although it may not be the only starfish to have nine arms, it earned its name. This species in the West Atlantic Ocean is a scavenger and feeds on small shellfish, mollusks, and sea worms. The nine-armed starfish swallows most of their prey whole using its stomach.

The largest starfish is the sunflower starfish or sunflower sea stars.

These huge species in the Northeast Pacific Ocean have arms that can reach a length of 1 meter. They have 16 to 24 arms with powerful suckers. The sunflower starfish have a wide variety of colors such as bright orange, yellow, red to brown, and sometimes to purple. They mostly feed on snails, sea urchins, clams, and other small invertebrates.

SOURCE: Facts.net

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Published by pat frederick

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137 thoughts on “The Star of the Show”

  2. IMO, it is very interesting that C-Span covered this…now, if only NPR would do the same, maybe Michael would learn the truth for once!!!

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Liked by 1 person

    1. If only he weren’t so badly compromised…sorry but no – never, ever trust ANYONE who believes in CC, much less his other less than desirable connections.

      Liked by 1 person

  10. Simon Ateba
    @simonateba
    Imagine being @JoeBiden
    . Your son makes millions of dollars from foreign entities but does not pay taxes because that would mean disclosing that he is engaged in foreign lobbying. With the millions of dollars and no serious job, he becomes a drug addict and illegally obtains a gun. All he tells them is that he is the son of the US Vice President, and he claims that part of the money will go to the “Big Guy.” He promises them access to his dad and top US officials. They hire him without any qualifications and pay him millions of dollars.

    Eventually, the information comes out, and the Justice Department has to investigate. The investigation drags on for five years, and eventually, they strike a deal with him to plead guilty to two misdemeanors of tax evasion so that the government would not prosecute him for illegally possessing a gun as a drug addict, a serious crime that has sent tens of thousands of Americans to prison for years.

    Imagine being the same father who, as a senator, drafted a draconian anti-drug law that sent tens of thousands of black people and others to prison, confiscated all their belongings, and gave a big speech boasting that the drug addicts should all be taken off the streets. Now that your son is one of them, when you’re asked about his case, you say you’re proud of him and he has done nothing wrong.

    Imagine journalists and commentators like @joenbc
    justifying it on television, singing your praises when their own child would have been in prison long ago for the same crimes. Imagine the people who believed in the rule of law watching the two-tiered justice system so brazenly displayed.

    America is in crisis. May God help us all!

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Insurrection Barbie
    @DefiyantlyFree
    Epstein was suicided on Bill Barr’s watch.

    Hunter Biden’s laptop was ignored and covered up under Bill Barr’s watch.

    Comey, McCabe, and Weissman were not held accountable under Bill Barr’s watch.

    2,000 violent BLM rioters were released with no charges under Bill Barr’s watch.

    2,000 affidavits reporting election fraud in 2020 were ignored until Bill Barr’s watch.

    The IRS investigation into Hunter Biden was stonewalled under Bill Barr’s watch.

    Durham did absolutely nothing because he was under Bill Barr’s watch.

    Kash Patel was spied on by DOJ in a Republican administration under Bill Barr’s watch.

    Bill Barr has helped protect this corrupt administration just as much as Merrick Garland.

    Bill Barr is a disgrace and a traitor and the poster child for the fact that democrats secret weapon was, is and always will be the fake Bush/McCain/Chaney Rino donor approved wing of the Republican Party.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. i see a pattern emerging, don’t you?
    Former state Rep. Stacie Marie Laughton of Derry, the first openly transgender person elected to the N.H. House of Representatives, was arrested Thursday by Nashua police on charges alleging distribution of child sexual abuse images, officials said. https://t.co/PvICV9bGnm

    — UnionLeader.com (@UnionLeader) June 23, 2023

    Liked by 1 person

  13. @amuse
    @amuse
    ·
    50m
    WINNING: On the heels of pleading guilty to tax evasion and gun charges, Hunter Biden was given a seat of honor at the White House State Dinner with Indian Prime Minister Modi. Have Joe & Hunter pressured him for a bribe yet? Anyone else with Hunter’s criminal record wouldn’t be… Show more

    JUSTICE? Trump paid for his CFO’s grandchildren’s school. The CFO didn’t pay taxes on the gift and went to prison for five months. Hunter Biden failed to pay taxes on more than $8M in bribes and unlawfully purchased a firearm – he went to the White House State Dinner with the Prime Minister of India. And he won’t spend a minute in prison – in fact, he was never arrested.

    Like

  14. “Man Starting To Think Now Was A Bad Time To Open ‘Crazy Ernie’s Deep Sea Expeditions'”
    U.S. · Jun 22, 2023 · BabylonBee.com

    NAPLES, FL — Local man Ernest Thompson is starting to think now may have been a bad time to launch his own business, “Crazy Ernie’s Deep Sea Expeditions.”

    “Of all the rotten luck!” said Mr. Thompson as he watched the news for updates on the Titan. “I’m beginning to feel like this was a really terrible time to start a business in which I take people down to crushing ocean depths in a homemade submersible.”

    Mr. Thompson had just hosted a grand opening for “Crazy Ernie’s,” only for the event to be interrupted halfway through by the news that a submersible had gone missing near the Titanic. “I tried to reassure the guests that we have the latest in safety technology at Crazy Ernie’s, but people started to panic,” said Mr. Thompson. “With every news update, more passengers canceled their trips. I’m ruined!”

    According to prospective passengers, despite trusting Crazy Ernie, the heightened fear of drowning in a submarine was too much to overcome. “Don’t get me wrong, Crazy Ernie seems very responsible,” said Mr. Dan Jenkins, who had canceled his upcoming weekend trip. “But the fact that the sub is controlled by a Dance Dance Revolution dance pad is a little concerning.”

    At publishing time, sources report that Mr. Thompson had unfortunately had to close his business, but was able to salvage most of his signage to open “Crazy Ernie’s Submarine Sandwich Shop.”

    Liked by 1 person

  15. “Nearly half of French food aid recipients are migrants, 90% of these come from Africa–Mass immigration was supposed to bring economic benefits, but the reality is far different on the ground in countries like France”
    June 23, 2023
    editor: REMIX NEWS author: JOHN CODY

    (Asylum seekers wait to leave the “Jungle” migrant camp in Calais, France, in October 2016. (Source: Shutterstock)

    ENTIRE ARTICLE: “New data shows that migrants account for nearly half of French food aid recipients, bolstering critics that assert that migrants, on the whole, are not actually a net benefit to Western economies but end up being an enormous financial burden.

    Data from France’s National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE) shows that migrants are vastly overrepresented among applicants for food benefits, with 44 percent being immigrants, compared to 10 percent of any metropolitan population on average. However, this share may be actually higher than INSEE indicates, as the agency is basing this figure only on the number of people who filled out the Food Aid survey; it also only included those who could answer their surveys in French. A self-administered questionnaire in English was offered to non-French speakers, but too few people agreed to even fill it out, so INSEE decided not to use the data.

    However, these non-French speaking applicants are estimated to be some 420,000, which means this group of immigrants constitutes some 14% of immigrant applicants. The INSEE reports that there are between 3.2 and 3.5 million French people who have utilized food benefits in the last year, which means approximately 1.5 million of them have been migrants.

    In recent years, neoliberal economists and open border advocates have attempted to argue that the West needs migrants to help ensure it can meet future pension obligations and shore up the workforce. In France, however, research from acclaimed academic Jean-Paul Gourévitch has shown that migrants are costing the French state €25 billion every year, and that approximately only a quarter of migrants have jobs while another quarter work in the informal economy. Another half have no job at all.

    As Remix News has reported, other European countries face similar circumstances. For instance, Germany has indicated that it plans to spend €36 billion on migrants alone this year, and an extraordinary amount of these migrants remain unemployed for years.

    However, mass immigration continues to be a big business, keeping select business owners well funded with state contracts — or in the case of activist organizations and NGOs — simply employed and sometimes very well paid. Data shows, for example, that French associations took in €750 million in grant money just in 2021 to help clothe, feed, and shelter new migrants.”

    Liked by 1 person

  21. Liked by 1 person

  23. Good night, Pat! Supposedly more widespread thunderstorms tonight and this week-end and much cooler – got up to 93 again once the clouds cleared out.

    Liked by 1 person

  24. I am adding a short daily prayer to the board. I would invite each of you, if you wish, to also add one or maybe two of your own liking. I do not want to stifle anyone but please limit yourself to one or two religious postings. here’s one I found that I liked.

    Like

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